Giants need to right the ship soon

Giants need to right the ship soon
December 15
Newsday columnist Bob Glauber
"Suddenly, 11-1 looks as if it very easily could turn into 11-5.

The Giants' stunning run through the NFL, which featured a dazzling display of big-play proficiency and plucky resourcefulness, now is threatened by a stunning late-season turn of events.

A second straight loss last night - this one to the team they beat in last season's divisional playoffs - and two daunting opponents in the final two weeks leaves the Giants in a precarious position as they head into the postseason.

Throw in a slew of new injuries, and things look even more uncertain.

Already without Brandon Jacobs, who injured the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee a few weeks ago, the Giants saw Kareem McKenzie (back), Rich Seubert (illness), Kenny Phillips (possible concussion), and Sinorice Moss (calf) leave last night's game early. And Justin Tuck was slowed by a nagging foot problem and a shin injury he suffered last night, courtesy of a swift kick from a Cowboys.

Just like the Giants got a swift kick from a Cowboys team that spent the week cleaning up after a dizzying sequence of events. There was Terrell Owens bellyaching about not getting enough passes, Jerry Jones questioning Marion Barber's toughness and Terence Newman's suggestion that the coaches don't take enough of the blame when things go wrong.

In the end, it was the Giants searching for answers in the wake of a 20-8 loss that dropped them to 11-3. With games coming up against the Panthers (11-3) at home and the Vikings (9-5) on the road, the Giants are faced with the first on-field crisis of their Super Bowl defense.

"We've got to take a hard look at where we are," coach Tom Coughlin said. "It's not a good time for us to be playing this way."

It comes down to this: Beat the Panthers on Sunday at Giants Stadium and things will look a whole lot better than they do right now. Beat the Panthers, and the Giants get the No. 1 overall seed and a coveted bye week before the divisional playoffs.

Lose to Carolina, and things look a whole lot worse. Lose to Minnesota and see the No. 2 seed disappear, and the Giants would be looking at having to duplicate last year's remarkable feat, the only difference being that they'd at least have a home game.

The Giants couldn't have picked a worse time to be playing their worst football of the season. They have one offensive touchdown in the last two games. Eli Manning was sacked eight times by the Cowboys. The Giants were limited to 72 rushing yards.

No Jacobs. No Plaxico Burress. A banged-up offensive line. Problems, people. Problems.

"We're disappointed by what we did, and we've got to find a way to fix it," Manning said. "This is the team we've got. We've got to make it work."

In a hurry.

If the Giants can summon a huge effort next week at home and contain the Panthers, then they can take a well-deserved sigh of relief and take comfort knowing that the road to the Super Bowl will go through Giants Stadium.

"There's a level of concern, sure," Tuck said afterward. "We got beat by a good football team. Same last week against Philadelphia. It was two teams that really needed the wins, and we didn't do enough to win. Now we've got to find a way."

The Panthers are coming off two consecutive dominant performances - especially in the running game - in back-to-back home wins over Tampa Bay and Denver. But they have proven vulnerable on the road this season, and the Giants will have to set the tone early in Sunday's prime-time game."
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